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ightglobal.com 15-21 August 2017 | Flight International | 15

Typhoons guard

Romania in a new

mode of engagement

News Focus P

R

ussian carrier Nordwind Air-

lines and sister airline Pegas

Fly are returning to fleet growth

after operations were cut amid an

economic downturn.

Oguz Senol Yuce, Nordwind’s

deputy general director, recalls

that the group operated a total of

39 aircraft in 2014 and had com-

mitments for another 15.

But the fleet was halved to 20,

and deliveries deferred, when

the Russian air transport market

was shaken by economic sanc-

tions, rouble devaluation, and a

decline in tourist flights to Egypt,

Tunisia and Turkey following ter-

rorist attacks.

Today, the group has 28 air-

craft, spanning Boeing 737-800s,

767-300ERs and 777-200ERs,

Airbus A321s and A330-200s,

says Yuce. The fleet is set to grow

to 56 in 2018, he adds.

Two 777-300ERs are sched-

uled to join the airline’s four

-200ERs this month, with another

two -200ERs to be delivered in

March-April 2018.

Six A330s will be added to the

fleet between February and June

2018. Yuce says Nordwind
      would ideally like to have six
      Rolls-Royce Trent 700-powered
      A330-300s, but may need to take
      a mix of -200s and -300s, and ac-
      cept jets with GE Aviation CF6 or

Pratt & Whitney PW4000 en-

gines, depending on lease-aircraft

availability.

Nordwind’s two in-service

A330-200s, both powered by

PW4000s, are dry-leased from

Turkish Airlines and will be re-

turned, Yuce says.

Further A330s are to be added

to the fleet from 2020, when the

group’s six 767s will be phased

out. One is operated by Nord-

wind and five by Pegas Fly. Three

of the Boeing widebodies will de-

part in 2018, Yuce says.

For its short-haul operations,

Nordwind intends to increase its

nine-strong 737-800 fleet to 14

and add a further four 737-900s

by May 2018.

The carrier also plans to have

12 A321s in its fleet in 2018, in-

cluding two A321neos. Nord-

wind now has seven A321s – two

powered by CFM International

CFM56s and the rest by Interna-

tional Aero Engines V2500s,

Flight Fleets Analyzer shows.

Nordwind is also evaluating

Embraer 190s.

Yuce acknowledges that the di-

versity of the airline’s fleet brings

disadvantages. But he argues that

Russia’s vastness requires a range

of different aircraft types and

sizes, particularly for long-haul

operations. “We really can’t right-

size capacity for some markets

very well,” he says.

He stresses that Nordwind is

“not aggressively adding capaci-

ty”, but rather returning to its pre-

downturn fleet plans. The growth

is partly a result of a stronger eco-

nomic situation in Russia –

which he describes as “much bet-

ter now” – and improved

relations with Turkey.

However, he adds that Nord-

wind has changed its business

model from a pure charter carrier

to operating two-thirds of domes-

tic and international flights as

scheduled services. ■

OPERATIONS MICHAEL GUBISCH LONDON

Nordwind breezes back to fleet growth

Recovering Russian economy and improved relations with Turkey are main drivers for revival of paused expansion strategy

Carrier will add further A330s, but favours Rolls-Royce-powered -300 variant over its current -200 model

Nordwind